From The Vaults

25 November 2016

England's class of 1980

Fran Cotton made his debut for England in 1971, scrumming down alongside John Pullin. Tenacious flanker Tony Neary made his debut the same season and Roger Uttley and Bill Beaumont would join them as the decade progressed.

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25 November 2016

England's class of 1980

Fran Cotton made his debut for England in 1971, scrumming down alongside John Pullin. Tenacious flanker Tony Neary made his debut the same season and Roger Uttley and Bill Beaumont would join them as the decade progressed.

18 November 2016

Muddied Oafs of Rugby

One of the most common epithets applied to a Rugby player is that of being a "muddied oaf". Though usually given in a light-hearted manner, and even worn with pride, it nevertheless reinforces a stereotype portraying Rugby footballers as lacking intelligence or manners, and often both.

13 November 2016

Lest We Forget - Alfred Frederick Maynard (England) 13/11/1916

Alfred Frederick Maynard was born in Penge, near Croydon, which is now part of Greater London. He was the youngest of six children of William John Maynard, and his wife Annie.

31 October 2016

How the city of Bradford helped shape the early history of Rugby Football

Ask a rugby enthusiast to name the traditional giants of English rugby and the chances are that Bradford would not come to mind. Yet immediately prior to the 1895 split, the Park Avenue club was considered alongside Newport and Blackheath as one of the leading sides in the British Isles.

23 October 2016

Alf Wright and the England Rose

Alf Wright recently made the news as the person who standardised the England rose way back in 1920. In homage to Alf's original design, the 2016/17 England jersey features a patched rose. But who exactly was Alf Wright and why is he fondly remembered by all at the World Rugby Museum?

17 October 2016

The Gould Case

The following is an extract from 'One Among Many: the Story of Sunderland Rugby Football Club' by Keith Gregson.

10 October 2016

A.W.PEARSON: The first Australian-born International

It's doubtful if any of those in the party from Guy's Hospital Rugby Club, enjoying a drink before heading off to the 2001 Lions match in Melbourne, realised that they were only a metaphorical stone's throw from the venue where Alexander (Alec) William Pearson played his last rugby match...

03 October 2016

Telling a 'pirate' from 'a pirate of a pirate'

Perhaps the easiest and most common path into memorabilia collecting is via the once-humble match programme. Some surviving examples from the 1880s and earlier were single-sheet, single-side even at international level, and intended mainly or solely as an aide-memoire and indication of the players selected.

26 September 2016

Durham County Diamond Jubilee 1936

The following is an extract from 'One Among Many: the Story of Sunderland Rugby Football Club' by Keith Gregson. "Of the many stirring rugby events at Ashbrooke, none aroused greater interest than the match played 26 September 1936"

18 September 2016

Lest We Forget - Rupert Edward Inglis (England) 18/09/1916

Rupert Edward Inglis was easily the oldest of the 27 England internationals to die in service in WW1. He came from a distinguished background. His father, Major-General Sir John Eardley Wilmot Inglis, K.C.B. was the "Defender of Lucknow" (Indian Mutiny), and his grandfather was Bishop of Nova Scotia.

12 September 2016

The most iconic image in the history of sport?

This photograph of Nelson Mandela awarding the 1995 Rugby World Cup to South African captain Francois Pienaar is one of the most iconic in sport and is significant on a number of levels.

05 September 2016

Lest We Forget - George Pugh (Australia) 05/09/1916

George Pugh was born in Glebe, Sydney on 16 January 1890 and won his only Australian test cap against the United States of America on the Wallabies North American tour of 1912.

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